Three essays on connections between personal life and economic outcomes
Date
2018
Authors
Curley, Christina, author
Bernasek, Alexandra, advisor
Zahran, Sammy, committee member
Mushinski, David, committee member
Canetto, Silvia Sara, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
The theme of this collection is the intersection of individuals' personal lives and economic lives. Personal traits may be influenced by gender, life events, and socioeconomic class. Personal traits can affect productivity and therefore are important in determining what happens in the labor market. In other words, what happens at work and what happens at home are not entirely separate. The first essay explores how sexual orientation and sexual experiences are related to individual income. Previous literature indicates that gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience an income differential when compared with heterosexuals. Recent data indicate that self-identification as an LGB individual and/or same-sex sexual behavior are still correlated with a lower income, however, not all of the results are statistically significant. In addition, there is a statistically significant negative income differential of 32% for men who report having had a same sex partner at some point, but identify as straight/heterosexual. The second essay analyzes parental divorce and how this may affect children later in life. Previous literature indicates that a multitude of issues exist for children whose parents divorced. The impact of parental divorce on children's income later in life is tested. Results from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) indicate that negative income effects from parental divorce persist for young men, however, young women and older age groups do not experience negative impacts on income. The third essay investigates a relationship between student loan debt and probability of marriage. Using the Baccalaureate and Beyond Survey 2008-2012, and with gender differences in mind, the impact of student loan repayment burden on the probability of marriage occurring in the four years following graduation is tested. Results indicate that increased payment-to-income ratio on student loan debt is negatively related to the probability of getting married for women who indicate a delay in marriage due to education debt.